Before anyone commits to a puppy they must read and agree to the following.
This page explains the following
- How To Apply
- Puppy Pricing
- Shipping Policy
- The Reservation List
- Pickup Policy
- Vaccine Policy
- Best Age to Pickup Puppy
- Puppy Picking Policy
TO APPLY: you must email me (ChicoraRidgebacks@gmail.com) to start the dialogue. If you are not willing to complete a lengthy questionnaire and answer follow-up questions; read, agree to and sign contracts; return these documents to me via mail; as well as place the holding fee if approved, then I am not the breeder for you. A Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy is a serious commitment, and paperwork is just part of the process. We do not sell to impulsive puppy buyers.
I do not allow puppy choosing and cannot guarantee your gender preference (see below for more info on why). I absolutely will not accept your holding fee if you are not open to either gender. I certainly do try to keep your preference in mind and provide for you if/when I am able. If you’re approved via the application, and agree to the holding fee agreement and final puppy contract, and you place a holding fee, then you’ll get a puppy as long as everything goes as planned on our end. By buying a puppy from me, you WILL be held to a legal standard. Every puppy I sell is an extension of my family. There are certain goals I expect you to meet with your puppy, including training and waiting until the dog has matured sexually before sterilizing it, as well as a couple of things I do not allow (board and training sessions, breeding, etc.). I require and expect all new puppy owners to keep in touch with me over the entirety of their dog’s life.
PRICING: Healthy, well bred and sound dogs are not cheap. To reduce the amount of tire kickers I deal with, I don’t respond to the single line “how much?” question, at least until we’ve communicated or you’ve completed an application. Time is valuable, and I don’t want to waste yours or mine. If you’re looking for a show or performance puppy, then you likely already know what to expect. I am willing to work with those willing to show and title a dog, but those dogs are sold on a co-owned contract basis. I don’t advertise “sales,” “deals,” or do any kind of haggling. My puppies and their pedigrees are among the best in the United States, and they are priced accordingly and with consideration for the time and money that goes into raw feeding, care, supplies, healthcare and health testing. My puppies are priced the same no matter how old they are, or what “quality” they are (unless we ever happen to have a ridgeless).
SHIPPING: I don’t trust the airlines with puppies, so I do not ship through them. However, there are puppy-nanny services available that meet my expectations and requirements of a safe and trauma-free experience for a puppy. I’ve been able to privately send puppies as far as California, and I’ve delivered personally. Additionally, sometimes multiple buyers are able to split transportation fees if the logistics workout. Transportation is typically $300+, and I can also personally transport a puppy within a few hundred miles for a fee. Talk to me for more info.
RESERVATION LIST: If you’re approved via the application, and agree to the contracts, and you place your holding fee, then you will be placed on the reservation list, which means you’ll get a puppy as long as everything goes as planned on our end. If anything changes on our end and we don’t have a puppy to place with you for whatever reason, then you will receive a refund of your holding fee or possibly be able to roll it over to a potential future litter, if we’re planning one. Once you’ve placed your holding fee, I will keep you updated via email of any news, but Instagram and Facebook will be the main method of litter news. When the puppies are around 6 weeks old, I will send out an info email with recommendations, reminders for pickup, directions and location of pickup, etc.
PICKUP/VISITS: Puppies are not available until they are at least 8 weeks old. I often plan a pickup day in advance in Columbus, NC, off of I-26, which saves folks about an hour of drive time (I am very rural and GPS is unreliable); pickups are usually scheduled on a Sunday (so you can be sure to get your puppy in with your vet Monday for the required initial exam within 48 hours of pickup).
If I schedule any pickup times OR visits on my property, only two family members are allowed. Sorry, no children or other pets are allowed–no exceptions!
My poultry is free-range, which makes them a target for visitor dogs chasing/killing them, and I take very serious the bio-security of my farm and animals. A current outbreak of a highly infectious canine respiratory syndrome of unknown etiology is spreading across the U.S., as well as an outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is threatening chicken and turkey flocks in the U.S.
Visitors can unknowingly bring viruses and diseases like these and parvo virus with them onto my farm, and if that happens it could potentially wipe out my entire breeding program, as well as my livestock and/or poultry flock.
There have been experiments done that studied swabs taken from the floors of Tractor Supply and other pet/farm stores that found transmissible zoonotic diseases, including a high levels of parvo virus in nearly every store sampled; such things are often spread via the bottom of shoes. Once parvo is in the ground somewhere it can live for up to 7 years. To completely remove the virus, the ground must be chemically treated and several inches of topsoil must be removed. I will not risk it on my farm. If or when you do visit and/or pickup (only allowed after puppies are 8 weeks old), we will meet you on the property in a designated visitor area away from our home and other animals.
VACCINES: I do not vaccinate puppies that are younger than 8 weeks old. I follow Dr. Jean Dodds’ Recommended Vaccination Schedule, which is being adopted by 27 North American veterinary schools. See VACCINE page for more info. This means puppies will go home WITHOUT vaccines if picked up prior to 9 weeks old.
PUPPY AGE: Puppies learn so much from their parents and litter mates between the ages of 8 and 10 weeks, including how not to bite, a lot about general social behavior, etc., so if you’re able to provide a little extra money for food and boarding expenses, then I am happy to try to keep the pup for a week or two longer than usual so it will learn additional essential behavior from its mother and my other dogs. This is also often a better option if you want me to deliver personally, as I will have more flexibility to travel at this time.
PUPPY PICKING: Potential buyers who have done their homework can expect to wait months to get a puppy from a reputable breeder, and all of those breeders will say the same thing: we will not accept requests for specific genders. DO NOT request an application if you would not be open to either gender. (I will do my best to accommodate you, but it’s not always possible.) I will assign puppies personally. I often don’t make those assignments until days before puppies go home. Assignments may vary based on me trying to accommodate everyone with temperament, size, gender, etc., which is all based on the information I have on file about potential owners (a big reason why I ask that you’re as thorough as possible). If the sire owner and/or I choose to keep a puppy (the picks of the litter), then we will likely wait until after seven weeks to make that pick.
Once puppies are born/whelped, they are not out of the woods in terms of risks. It’s not uncommon for a breeder to lose a puppy up to 8 weeks of age. Puppies are fragile. There are so many things that can go wrong, and many, many unexplained things that can happen with both mom and puppies along the way that are out of all of our control. I really do try my very best to accommodate everyone, while considering the realities of all possible varying situations.
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Great reading material to prepare for your next puppy is this book:
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NuVet Labs
I do NOT promote or recommend NuVet Labs. Dogs don’t need to be on any of these supplements.